"It's absurd and it's part of a long record of coddling dictators
and tyrants that this administration has established," Rubio said
in a Fox News interview.

Rubio, a potential presidential candidate in 2016, was reacting
to the White House's decision to beginning normalizing relations
with the Cuban government following a prisoner swap between the
two countries. Like Sen. Bob
Menendez (D-New Jersey),
who also slammed ObamaWednesday, Rubio warned that the deal will
encourage other countries to kidnap Americans.

"It puts a price on every American abroad. Governments now know
that if they can take an American hostage, they can get very
significant concessions from the United States," he said.

In a separate
interview with the Associated Press, Rubio further said the
deal will help the Castro regime in Cuba become "permanent
fixtures in Cuba for generations to come." The US has placed an
economic embargo against Cuba since Fidel Castro overthrew the
previous government. His brother, Raúl Castro, now leads the
country.

"This is going to do absolutely nothing to further human rights
and democracy in Cuba," Rubio said. "But it potentially goes a
long way in providing the economic lift that the Castro regime
needs to become permanent fixtures in Cuba for generations to
come."

Rubio also released a lengthy statement vowing "to make
every effort to block this dangerous and desperate attempt by the
President to burnish his legacy at the Cuban people’s expense.
"

View his full statement below:

“Today’s announcement initiating a dramatic change in U.S. policy
toward Cuba is just the latest in a long line of failed attempts
by President Obama to appease rogue regimes at all cost.

“Like all Americans, I rejoice at the fact that Alan Gross will
be able to return to his family after five years in captivity.
Although he is supposedly being released on humanitarian grounds,
his inclusion in a swap involving intelligence agents furthers
the Cuban narrative about his work in Cuba. In contrast, the
Cuban Five were spies operating against our nation on American
soil. They were indicted and prosecuted in a court of law for the
crimes of espionage and were linked to the murder of the
humanitarian pilots of Brothers to the Rescue. There should be no
equivalence between the two, and Gross should have been released
unconditionally.

“The President’s decision to reward the Castro regime and begin
the path toward the normalization of relations with Cuba is
inexplicable. Cuba’s record is clear. Just as when President
Eisenhower severed diplomatic relations with Cuba, the Castro
family still controls the country, the economy and all levers of
power. This administration’s attempts to loosen restrictions on
travel in recent years have only served to benefit the regime.
While business interests seeking to line their pockets, aided by
the editorial page of The New York Times, have begun a
significant campaign to paper over the facts about the regime in
Havana, the reality is clear. Cuba, like Syria, Iran, and Sudan,
remains a state sponsor of terrorism. It continues to actively
work with regimes like North Korea to illegally traffic weapons
in our hemisphere in violation of several United Nations Security
Council Resolutions. It colludes with America’s enemies, near and
far, to threaten us and everything we hold dear. But most
importantly, the regime’s brutal treatment of the Cuban people
has continued unabated. Dissidents are harassed, imprisoned and
even killed. Access to information is restricted and controlled
by the regime. That is why even more than just putting U.S.
national security at risk, President Obama is letting down the
Cuban people, who still yearn to be free.

“I intend to use my role as incoming Chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee’s Western Hemisphere subcommittee to
make every effort to block this dangerous and desperate attempt
by the President to burnish his legacy at the Cuban people’s
expense. Appeasing the Castro brothers will only cause other
tyrants from Caracas to Tehran to Pyongyang to see that they can
take advantage of President Obama’s naiveté during his final two
years in office. As a result, America will be less safe as a
result of the President’s change in policy. When America is
unwilling to advocate for individual liberty and freedom of
political expression 90 miles from our shores, it represents a
terrible setback for the hopes of all oppressed people around the
globe.”